Southland doughnut shops sell out on National Donut Day

Local doughnut shops sold out during National Donut Day on Friday. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Tiffany Hsu

The frenzy Friday morning over National Donut Day left shops around the Southland stripped of the sweet treats.

“We were sold out by 8 a.m.,” said Yin Huynh, owner of K&K Donuts in Echo Park as she sold croissants and muffins to late-comers.

Customers streamed in early Friday, buying boxes of dozens upon dozens of doughnuts to commemorate the holiday, Huynh said. But many also swung through on their way to graduation ceremonies at local schools.

The desolation was similar throughout Southern California.

A worker at Rose Donuts in Linda Vista, a popular stop for students at the nearby University of San Diego, said at 10 a.m that she was completely out of buttermilk and bar doughnuts and had just a few trays remaining of glazed, chocolate and sprinkle doughnuts.

At MS Donuts in Los Angeles around the same time, only two dozen doughnuts remained.

National Donut Day was eagerly anticipated. The industry was expected to generate $11.6 billion in revenue last year, according to research group IBISWorld.

But SymphonyIRI data showed doughnut sales declining 4% during the year ended Dec. 2. The top-performing company during the period – Hostess Brands Inc., which made $357.6 million in sales for its Donettes label – is no longer operational.